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Quantifying Educational Competition: A Game-Theoretic Model with Policy Implications

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  • Siyuan He

Abstract

The competitive pressures in China's primary and secondary education system have persisted despite decades of policy interventions aimed at reducing academic burdens and alleviating parental anxiety. This paper develops a game-theoretic model to analyze the strategic interactions among families in this system, revealing how competition escalates into a socially irrational "education arms race." Through equilibrium analysis and simulations, the study demonstrates the inherent trade-offs between education equity and social welfare, alongside the policy failures arising from biased social cognition. The model is further extended using Spence's signaling framework to explore the inefficiencies of the current system and propose policy solutions that address these issues.

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  • Siyuan He, 2024. "Quantifying Educational Competition: A Game-Theoretic Model with Policy Implications," Papers 2412.10974, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2412.10974
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mathias Dewatripont & Ian Jewitt & Jean Tirole, 1999. "The Economics of Career Concerns, Part I: Comparing Information Structures," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 66(1), pages 183-198.
    2. Mathias Dewatripont & Ian Jewitt & Jean Tirole, 1999. "The Economics of Career Concerns, Part I: Comparing Information Structures," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 66(1), pages 183-198.
    3. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
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